1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a business form which has one or a plurality of cards integrated within a surrounding ply, the card being held in position by intermittent and discrete tape segments. More particularly, the intermittent tape sections are positioned between continuous tape strips to inhibit deflection of the card relative to the surrounding ply.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recent developments in business forms have led to improved options for manufacturers to provide more economical business forms which include a durable card carried by or as a part of a surrounding ply. Examples of such business forms are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,403,236 and 5,702,789, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference. These forms enable the user to have a single ply form providing an opening into which a card of the same or different material is placed. In the case of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,236, the card may be secured either by application of adhesive around the opening so that the card overlaps the opening, or by applying two continuous, spaced and parallel tape strips along two edges of the opening so that the tape holds the card in position. With regard to the U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,789, the cards may share common boundaries within the form and be held by two continuous, spaced and parallel tape strips along the card boundaries with the surrounding form.
While these forms have provided the ability to integrate a card into a surrounding ply of a form so that for the majority of the form, only a single thickness is presented, there are circumstances where during manufacture, printing or use, the forms need to bend. Often, especially when the card is of a different material than the surrounding ply, the card deflects relative to the ply, and in some instances separates. This deflection and separation process becomes more acute as the speed of the form through the manufacturing, printing, or processing stages is increased, thus rapidly moving the form around rollers. Thus, there has developed a need for an economical means of securing the card to the surrounding ply more completely to resist deflection or separation without the necessity of overlap between the card and the surrounding ply.
These objects have largely been met by the business form of the present invention which provides not only continuous tape strips having adhesive which extend along two parallel, opposed margins of the card, but also intermittent application of tape patches with adhesive intermediate the two parallel strips so as to hold the card along margins extending between the spaced parallel strips. The intermittently applied intermediate tape segments are positioned to overlap a portion of the margin of the card intermediate the two parallel strips without completely covering the card, thus avoiding unnecessary bulk and thickness for the form, and permitting both sides of the form including the majority of the surrounding ply and the inlaid card to be imprinted with indicia. The tape is preferably thin cellophane or similar tape with an adhesive which remains with the tape rather than transferring to the card. The card may be of the same, or more preferably a different material, than the surrounding ply. The form itself may be provided in individual cut sheets or adjacent sheets may be joined along a line of weakening such as a perforation or score line to provide for fan folding of the joined sheets. The adjacent sheets may be provided as part of a roll in addition to fan folding.